The Beauty of Makeup...and of Going Makeup-less

There's nothingthat bothers me more than people commenting
about my makeup. Recently I was at a concert and I was meeting a friend’s boyfriend.
I have a twin sister, so I am normally introduced as “Savoy’s twin” so that I
can be easily identified. The thing about my sister and I is that we don’t look
alike. Somehow she got more of my mother’s strong features (the round-shaped
head, the adorably constructed dimples), while I acquired more of my father’s (the
pointed nose, the narrow head, the higher cheekbones). Aside from having practically no
features in common, we also wear very different levels of makeup. So when
someone instinctively goes “You guys look nothing alike!” upon seeing us for
the first time together, I mention that yes, we are fraternal, but our biggest distinction
lies in the fact that Savoy uses her Too Faced natural eye palette simply to
fill in her brows (um, what?) and her Bare Minerals powder lasts her nearly two
years.

I, on the other hand am a VIB Rouge
at Sephora, which means I spend at least $1,000 a year on makeup, which is especially
crazy considering I work there and get a
discount, so $1,000 is more difficult to obtain. So here I am, the makeup
fanatic, while my sister maintains her beauty in a more modest sense. At the surface, our
differences certainly lie in the amount of makeup applied. So when someone says “You guys
look nothing alike!” I am more apt to reply jokingly with “Yes, we wear our
makeup differently.”

I said these exact words to him, to
which he replied “Well your face does look more…shiny.” While my understanding
as a makeup artist is that “shiny” often means greasy, I was quickto assume that in this sense, it was meant to
be synonymous to a perfectly highlighted cheekbone. So I took his response with
a little more understanding than I normally would. He’s a guy. My boyfriend has
called me shiny before. He didn’t mean it offensively, he was just wondering why
my face was more sparkly than it was the day before. That’s understandable.
Makeup is basically magic anyway. And for him to even notice means that I did
my shadow vs light technique right that day. It’s also true that men who don’t
wear makeup have a limited vocabulary when it comes to the proper adjectives to
describe the way makeup looks. So I got it. But then, the guy said (because apparently he
works at a spa) “You’re going to clog your pores with all that makeup.” All.
That. Makeup. All that makeup. That’s
like saying “You wear too much” or even worse, “Makeup is bad for you.”

I politely responded as I was trying
to hold back my boiling rage, “I wash my face regularly.” I can’t tell you how many
amazing skincare products I use in combination with my regular makeup routine to
keep my skin healthy. And even if I didn’t use any of these, how is this a
concern of his? This conversation is similar to many conversations I’ve had
in the past, but also ones that I’ve had even more recently, and it’s
concerning. I made a joke to some people about how much makeup I wear. It was
something along the lines of me saracastically saying “I wear a lot.” And these
nice, but very confused group of people, said “Maybe you should try less makeup.”
There are so many things wrong with this statement, but I’ll detail the abridged
version.

I don’t wear makeup to bed. I don’t
wake up with makeup on. I know what my face looks like without makeup, I’m the
damn person who puts it on. So it’s not
like I don’t know what my life is like without
it. I just choose a life with it. I choose
to put it on. I choose to put the amount that I put on. And I look damn good.

Makeup is an essential part of
someone’s style. Whether it’s purple lipstick, a pink blush, or mascara that is
meant to volumize your lashes, these things are meant to enhance your
appearance. As such, makeup should be granted the same recognition as an accessory, like jewelry or hats. Not everyone wears a watch or a fedora. Not everyone
wears foundation. But these varying degrees of foundation quantities are suited
to fit a person’s ideal “look.” And who are we to question that person’s look?

And I don't wear makeup because I'm insecure. I'm not trying to hide anything. Maybe I'm covering up the dark circles under my eyes, or the veins on my eyelids, or a blemish or two. But I'm not trying to compensate for a lack of confidence that you think I have when I'm not wearing any makeup. I feel good both ways. But what accurately represents me, who I am, my style, and how I choose to represent myself, is to wing my liner and contour my face. And if bare skin is how you want to represent yourself, that's cool too.

My sister looks amazing with the
bare minimum. That's who she is. And I feel great every time I walk out of my house with all my
layers of different colors and products. I always tell my makeup clients, you look
great with whatever you feel comfortable in. So if I want to wear purple
lipstick and I feel fantastic, it doesn’t matter what someone else thinks. Some
days I want to look natural and on others I want to feel like a vampire queen.
So I’m going to base my decisions around what makes me feel comfortable and I
refuse to hear it from anyone else.

The Beauty of Makeup...and of Going Makeup-less
Reviewed by Ariel Sullivan
on
Thursday, September 03, 2015
Rating: 5

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Ariel Reverie

My name is R-E-L and I am not a mermaid. My parents actually claim my name derived from REO Speedwagon and not the Disney movie that predated my birth, but they often like to tell stories. I am a Colorado native who enjoys film, poetry, screenwriting, photography, design, music, and religiously watching an assortment of television series. I am one half of a set of twins and I usually bring that up to make interesting conversation.